Heather drink oppidum
The heather drink oppidum near Oberursel im Taunus is one of the most important Celtic oppida in Europe . It is located on the slopes of the Urselbachtal , which is also known as the Heidetränktal.
The attachment
The Heidetränk oppidum with its ramparts extends over two ridges, the 492 meter high gold mine northeast of the Heidetränk valley , and the Altenhöfe at 575 meters above sea level. The facility has a total area of approx. 130 hectares.
For the visitor today, the elongated ring walls on the gold mine are clearly visible. They are the remains of dry stone walls that were used to protect the city from attackers. The outer enclosure wall consisted of a 4 to 5 meter high and equally wide post slot wall , as proven by excavation cuts at the end of the 19th century. Access to the settlement was through pincer gates on different sides of the wall. The south-eastern and north-eastern Zangentor can still be seen particularly clearly from the elevations in the forest. The Heidetränk oppidum had a total of six such gates.
In addition to the ramparts, about 160 so-called "living podiums", terraces on which houses probably stood, are archaeologically proven. During one of his excavations at the end of the 19th century, Christian Ludwig Thomas found post holes, hearths and the remains of various tools here.
Chronological order
Finds of a smaller settlement on the gold mine date back to the 3rd century BC. BC back. Only with the expansion at the end of the 2nd century BC However, the actual oppidum arose with the areal size of a city.
In the middle of the 1st century BC The heather drink oppidum lost its importance. It was long since deserted when the Romans later occupied parts of Hesse.
The heather drink oppidum's heyday falls in the late La Tène period . It is therefore much younger than the nearby facilities of the Altkönig (5th / 4th century BC) and the Bleibeskopf (8th century BC).
Archaeological finds
The archaeological finds from the Heidetränk oppidum include tools for field and gardening: for example, iron plowshares, sickle knives, hoes and scythe leaves. In addition, tools were found that demonstrate a distinct craftsmanship, as well as Celtic coins, especially the so-called "Nauheimer quinar", which was probably even minted in the oppidum itself.
The majority of the finds are now in the Vortaunus Museum in Oberursel.
In May 2011, a settlement was made with the State Archaeological Collection in Munich that a treasure found by predatory graves in the Heidetränk oppidum would be shared with 349 Celtic silver coins. The owner of the oppidum, the Hohemarksverband der Stadt Bad Vilbel and Frankfurt am Main , will receive half of the coins in the original and will receive a copy of each of the coins in the second half. The same conditions will be created in Munich so that both collections can present the treasure in full. Bad Vilbel has since sold its stake in the fund to the city of Frankfurt am Main. From June 22nd, 2011 the treasure will be shown in the Archaeological Museum .
Circular hiking trail
An archaeological circular hiking trail with detailed, multilingual display boards leads over the part of the oppidum located on the gold mine. It starts at the pedestrian bridge near the terminus of the Frankfurt U-Bahn line 3 Oberursel / Hohemark.
See also
literature
- Holger Baitinger, Bernhard Pinsker (Red.): The riddle of the Celts from Glauberg. Belief - Myth - Reality . Theiss, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-8062-1592-8 , section on the Keltenstraße: "The old king and the heather drink oppidum."
- Albrecht Jockenhövel : Oberursel-Oberstedten HG. Heidetränk oppidum (also gold mine). In: Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann , Albrecht Jockenhövel: The prehistory of Hesse. Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-8062-0458-6 , p. 461f.
- Jörg Lindenthal: Cultural Discoveries. Archaeological monuments in Hessen. Jenior, Kassel 2004, ISBN 3-934377-73-4 , pp. 176f.
- Ferdinand Maier : The Celtic heather drink oppidum near Oberursel in the Taunus. Leaflet for the fortified settlement of the Younger Iron Age in the Hohemark Forest, Gde. Oberursel-Oberstedten, Hochtaunuskreis. State Office for the Preservation of Monuments Hesse, Wiesbaden 1980 (2nd supplemented edition. Archaeological Society in Hesse, Wiesbaden 1993, ISBN 3-89822-010-9 (Archaeological Monuments in Hesse 10)).
- Ferdinand Maier: The heather drink oppidum. Topography of the fortified Celtic hill settlements from the younger Iron Age near Oberursel in the Taunus . Theiss, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-8062-0793-3 ( Guide to Hessian Pre- and Early History 4).
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 13 ′ 15 ″ N , 8 ° 31 ′ 19 ″ E